TITLE
Watch as some outdoor adventurers find a large western diamondback rattlesnake!
The rattle on the end of a rattlesnake’s tail is made of the same stuff as human hair and fingernails! This stuff is called keratin. The rattle grows a little each time the rattlesnake sheds. The rattle is empty inside, and the parts of the rattle hit together to make the rattling sound. That sound lets other animals know to stay away because a dangerous rattlesnake is nearby!
Select an activity below to download the PDF.
Making Connections
Text-to-Self
If you saw a western diamondback rattlesnake in real life, what would you do to stay safe?
Text-to-Text
Have you read books about other kinds of snakes? How are they similar to western diamondback rattlesnakes? How are they different?
Text-to-World
Western diamondback rattlesnakes are ambush hunters. Can you think of any other animals that hunt this way?